


Worlds Collide

by gyri



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010), Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-05 04:04:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6688438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gyri/pseuds/gyri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If it weren't for Jerry.....</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Talking About Home

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Day At Ka'ena Point](https://archiveofourown.org/works/200969) by [squidgie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/squidgie/pseuds/squidgie). 



> I read " A Day At Ka'ena Point," by squidgiepdx, and I started to wonder how these very two different worlds could believably mesh. And for starters, how WOULD Steve and Danny find out about the Stargate Program and Atlantis? And then it hit me--they have their very own conspiracy theorist, UFO and all things weird and top secret specialist--Jerry Ortega!
> 
> This just popped into my mind and I'm not even sure where to go with this. It is not beta'd, so all mistakes are mine. It is also my first attempt at fanfic writing. Constructive criticism is welcome---but so is encouragement!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, as I am new at this, I'd love input: does it make sense? How does the dialog flow? Did I get the character's voices right? Any other constructive criticism is welcome.

As the four of them meet in the parking lot of the Hilo Burger Joint, Danny remarks, "Oh, look who's here. Our own Fox Mulder."

"Jerry!" Steve beckons the big teddy bear of a man over. "You coming or going?"

"Hey, Steve. Scully," he directs at Danny. "Just got here."

"Well, join us. We were just about to grab some supper and beer. John and Rodney, meet Jerry Ortega. He's a special assistant to the Five-0 task force. Jerry, meet Rodney McKay and John Sheppard." 

Jerry draws his chin to his chest and looks at the two strangers through his eyelashes. There is something different about them, he thinks, but he doesn't know why. Their names are oddly familiar, too. 

"Hi."

Rodney sticks his hand out, but quickly withdraws it when he realizes the other man doesn't intend to shake it.

"Hiya, good to meet ya," says John affably, as they file into the joint. Rodney catches up to him and whispers into his ear, "And I thought _I_ was the socially dysfunctional one."

John winks affectionately at Rodney. "Heh." 

They place their orders and claim a table, making small talk as they start in on their beer and the food begins arriving. 

"Where are you guys from?" Steve asks. 

"San Francisco," Rodney says, because technically, that's where they landed after the Pegasus Galaxy. "You both from here?" 

"I grew up here. Danny, though, he's a transplant from New Jersey......as he likes to remind me." 

John perks up. "Oh yeah? Anywhere near Atlantis--uh, I mean, Atlantic City?" 

Rodney gives him the side-eye. He knows John misses "home," and it's been slipping out in his speech like this more and more often. 

Across from them, Jerry pauses with his hamburger halfway to his mouth. 

"Yeah, couple hours down the shore, " Danny says. "We'd go walk the boardwalk there....if only it were easier to leave this Pineapple-infested rock to go visit." 

Steve rolls his eyes but bumps Danny with his shoulder. 

"I hear ya, buddy," John says, waving his beer bottle at him. The alcohol seems to have gone to his head much too quickly after an afternoon of surfing. " 'Course it's not like you can just grab a little puddlejumper to get there. Or a wormhole---that'd get you there in a heartbeat..." John shuts his mouth, looking profoundly confused. And shocked. 

Danny squints at him, then cuts his eyes to Steve, who shakes his head and shrugs. 

Rodney's eyes widen in alarm as his mouth slants down in dismay, but he's always been able to think on his feet--he is a brilliant scientist after all. 

"That's a theory physicists have about how to travel through space and time---we're both SciFi nerds, can you tell?" And he gives what he hopes is a self-deprecating little laugh. 

"OH, well Max--our M.E.--would LOVE you, I should call him, see if he wants to join..." Danny starts, when Jerry leaps to his feet, sending his chair clattering across the floor. His brown eyes are wide with a strange mix of wonder and fear. 

"What is the matter with you?" Danny huffs. 

Around them, the restaurant has gone silent and all eyes are on them. Steve notices that Rodney is looking distinctly panicked and that John looks defensive and worried. 

"We can't talk about this here," Jerry mutters, the familiar hunch of his shoulders reminding Steve of a turtle trying to withdraw into its shell. Without another word he scuttles out, long ringlets flying. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE thanks to squidgie for being so enthusiastic upon reading this, and for encouraging me to publish it, and for giving it an initial look through!
> 
>  
> 
> ETA: Interestingly, I've never been a very big fan of Jerry on H50. But, in writing this, the character spoke to me; and I realized there were aspects of his personality that I identified with, and mannerisms that I had picked up on without realizing it.


	2. Code of Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one's really talking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did go back and change a few things in Chapter 1 based on a suggestion by Helenkacan in her comment to that chapter. It had been niggling at me and I felt I had been a little too hasty in coming up with a reason for John's slip-ups; as well, I wanted to have a more concrete reason for Jerry to be suspicious. 
> 
> Also, someone called this fic "crack." I didn't initially start out to write it as such, but maybe it is? I dunno.

They sit in a moment of stunned silence.

  
As people resume talking and eating around them, Steve stands up. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back,” he says, shooting a sharp look at Sheppard and McKay.

  
“Jerry!”

*******  
Danny rubs the back of his neck, eyes scrunching up in embarrassment. “Oh don’t worry about him,” he says, flapping his hand at John and Rodney. “That guy thinks Elvis is still alive and that aliens from outer space walk among us.”

  
Instead of the expected laughter and assurances, he is met with an awkward tenseness. Rodney was blinking in shock, while Sheppard sat ramrod straight in his chair. Okay, just what was going on here?

  
Although Danny loved to poke fun at Jerry, he’d seen first-hand that Jerry’s suspicions were often borne out, no matter how far-fetched they might seem initially. But time-space travel? Aliens?

  
Danny remembered Sheppard was Air Force; and although McKay hadn’t identified what he did, he’d noticed the astrophysics journal the man had at the beach. Not light reading; the man had to be a scientist, then.

  
Suddenly a case he’d worked years ago in Jersey came to mind. He was working burglary, and a report had come in that several cars in the parking lot of a large biotech company had been broken into.

  
While interviewing one of the theft victims, he’d noticed a NASA decal on the man’s car.

  
_“NASA fan, huh?”_  
_“I worked for NASA for eight years; went to work there after retiring. Twenty-three years in the Air Force.”_  
_“Wow. Why only eight years? I’d think that would be a second dream career for you.”_  
_“I quit. Couldn’t take the code of silence, man. I couldn’t talk about anything I’d seen.”_  
_“ ‘Anything you’d seen?’ What DID you see?”_  
_“Nothing that could be explained away. There’s life. There’s life out there, man.”_

  
Danny had mentioned this to his partner, an older, jaded cop who had little patience for young, dewy-eyed officers not long out of the Academy. His growly response was succinct.

  
_“The man’s a crackpot, Williams. Focus on the case evidence and leave the human-interest angle to the journalists.”_

  
So Danny had shut his mouth; but even then, he had good instincts when it came to people; he could tell the guy was sincere. He was certainly intelligent, and nothing suggested he was crazy or delusional. Later, on his own time, he’d run background on the guy and verified his time in the Air Force and with NASA. No red flags popped up on his psych evals, and he had been a distinguished serviceman and employee.

  
But, since the case was quickly solved and really had nothing to do with an ex-Air Force, ex-NASA technician, he quickly forgot about the man.

  
Until now.

  
Danny’s gut is telling him there _is_ something going on here, but he decides to play dumb for the time being. Besides, there is something about these two he likes; they’re Good People, he thinks.

  
“Uh, not that there’s anything wrong with believing in E.T.,” he back-pedals. “Hell, there’s plenty of unexplained phenomena out there. And I got nothing against sci-fi nerds.” He smiles, letting it reach his eyes, turning on his charm.

  
That gets a blush from McKay and Sheppard, and they relax; although John still looks a bit shell-shocked.

  
“Like I was saying, Max Bergman, our Medical Examiner, is a total sci-fi geek. You shoulda heard him at this case we worked at a sci-fi convention a few years ago….”

  
Something occurs to Rodney. “McGarrett mentioned Jerry was working with your task force…Five-0? I thought you guys were HPD?”

  
“Yeah…we’re an offshoot of HPD. Governor gave us ‘full immunity and means…” ---Danny’s hands wave as if conducting an orchestra---“and it is all I can do to rein in the crazy that is Steve McGarrett. SuperSEAL has no fear gene. Never mind convincing him to follow proper police procedure!”

  
John seems to rally somewhat. “I knew there was a reason I liked that guy…”

  
“Yeah…he grew on me, eventually. Besides my daughter Gracie, he’s the only thing that makes living here bearable. I mean, seriously? 'Island Time?'”

  
“Yes, and what’s with the flip flops and board shorts? Do people not have any other form of attire?” Rodney sniffs.

  
“Right? And sand everywhere….”

  
“Jellyfish…”

  
“Tsunamis…”

  
“Oh don’t get me started on tsunamis...” Rodney shudders.

  
“Still, we’ve got a great team, here. We’re Ohana---family. After McGarrett conscripted me, we took on Chin Ho Kelly….”

 

******  
“Jerry! Yo Jerry, wait up, buddy!” Steve jogs across the parking lot and puts a hand out to take Jerry’s arm, and is alarmed to feel cold, clammy skin; he is hyperventilating and shaking badly.

  
He sits Jerry on a guard rail and puts his head between his knees, keeping a hold on him just in case. “Alright, buddy….take it easy. Slow deep breaths…breathe in, count to four, breathe out….” He repeats this several times until Jerry stops shaking and is able to breathe more or less normally.

  
“You want to tell me what that was all about?”

  
“McGarret…Commander…you’ve no idea….I can’t believe it….”

  
“Believe _what_ , Jerry?

  
“No, you’d truly think I was crazy if I told you now. I need to…to gather up my evidence…just to confirm for myself….we can’t talk here…”

  
“Okay Jerry, well, why don’t you come back inside….”

  
“NO! I can’t. I’m freaking out here. I need to go!”

  
“Okay, Jerry, okay….are you okay to drive?”

  
“Yeah…I’ve got my scooter. I’ll just take it slow. I’m staying at a friend’s place nearby. I’ll see you later, McGarrett.”

  
Steve frowns as he watches Jerry ride away. He’s never seen the man so rattled.

*******

Danny looks up as Steve re-enters the restaurant, and there it is: Aneurysm Face. He smiles broadly and winks ever so slightly. Steve picks up on the silent language and relaxes.

  
“Is he okay?” Rodney asks.

  
“Everything’s fine. He’s just a little excitable…has an active imagination.”

  
“I was just telling John and Rodney about our eclectic little group.”

  
“Yeah, you should come over to Headquarters sometime, meet the rest of the team,” Steve says, as he is interrupted by his phone.

  
“Chin, what've you got……..okay….be there soon as we can. We’re all the way up at Ka’ena Point. Max there? Good.”

  
“Okay, we caught a case. Sorry to cut this short. Here’s my card, don’t hesitate to contact me if you need. Be happy to show you around the island.” He shakes Sheppard’s and McKay’s hands; Danny smiles sunnily at them. “See you around.”

  
“Bye,” Rodney manages. John is strangely silent, and as soon as they are alone he hisses, “What on earth is the matter with you?”

  
“RODney. Please, not now! Let’s just go back to the hotel, yeah?”

  
It’s a ten minute drive to their hotel; both of them are silent. In stark contrast to his good mood earlier at the beach, John is fairly vibrating with tension. By the time they get to their room Rodney is about to explode.

  
He rounds on John, says again, “What is going on with you? I mean, I know you miss Atlantis, and you had a few beers today, but that shouldn’t cause you to start dropping Whoopsies in public!”

  
_“Whoopsies??”_

  
“Yes, WHOOPSIES! Those references to TOP SECRET things like Atlantis, puddlejumpers, and wormholes, for crying out loud!

  
“Puddlejumper is a term used here on Earth, Rodney….besides, you did a good job covering for me.”

  
Rodney plants his hands on his hips and glares.

  
“OKAY! Okay. I don’t know what’s the matter with me! I feel….a constant buzzing in my head…..it’s gotten louder, all of a sudden. It’s like….it feels like it’s coming from Atlantis. Like she’s trying to warn me.”

  
“OH, come ON John! I know we’ve joked about your being able to communicate with the city. It is NOT sentient!”

  
“Well how do we know? We’ve never been able to prove that!”

  
“And even if it were, it’s thousands of miles away!”

  
“I know that! Jeez, Rod-NEY! You asked me what was going on with me, well that’s my answer!”

  
Exhausted, he plops down onto the bed, and Rodney sits next to him. “Sorry.”

  
John scrubs his hand through his hair, making it stick out in even crazier directions. They both almost jump out of their skin when John’s cell buzzes.

  
“Teyla! What’s going on? Everything okay?”

  
“We are….fine, John. Ronon and I were just thinking we’d like to come join you in Hawaii. You did initially invite us, did you not?”

  
“Yeah, yeah I did Teyla….sure.” For some reason, the thought of Teyla and Ronon coming here causes a huge wave of relief. “Have the Stargate Command liaison book your flights….”

  
“Do not worry. We will handle it. See you soon,” and she hangs up on him.

  
John stares suspiciously at the phone. Teyla’s never been rude like that; and he gets the feeling she deliberately avoided talking to him any more than was necessary.

  
He shares a look with Rodney, who’d heard the conversation.

  
“What on earth is going on here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Danny's memory of the ex-Air Force and ex-NASA guy is based on someone I know in real life, who really DID serve 23 years in the AF, work for NASA, and see things that could not be explained which he was forbidden to talk about. Gives me goosebumps every time I think about it. 
> 
> Also, that time in Danny's life was a nod to Scott Caan's police role in "Meet Dave," a 2008 Eddie Murphy movie that flopped horribly. It was only memorable, to me, because of Scott. I consider his chemistry with Mike O'Malley, who plays his older, jaded partner, to have been the seed that was to grow into the best of what we saw of the Steve and Danny banter in S1 of H5O. The blooper reel especially showcases this; Elizabeth Banks, their co-star, remarks that the two of them were hilarious and that they should take their shtick on the road. I'd highly recommend buying the DVD just to see the blooper reel of Caan and O'Malley.


	3. Working the Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Danny discuss McKay and Sheppard; a body washes up on Waikiki Beach.

Steve and Danny are silent as Steves pulls his truck away from the Hilo Burger Joint. The silence continues as they turn onto Highway 93.

Danny glances over at Steve.

Steve glances over at Danny.

It's become a game with them, to see who will break first. It's played out in many variations over the years; they never tire of it.

Finally:

"Daniel."

"Steven."

"....."

"Well, are you gonna talk?"

"No, after you."

"You first."

"No no no," Danny singsongs with barely suppressed laughter. "You always accuse me of talking too much. So today, I am graciously giving you the floor," and he sweeps his hand out in the grandest gesture of a maitre d' at a posh New York Hotel.

Steve laughs and Danny grins back at him. After their chuckles die down, a familiar furrow appears above Steve's eyes.

"Something about that didn't sit right with me."

"You mean, you don't think they are who they appear to be?"

"Not exactly....I can't put my finger on it."

"We can always run background on them when we get back to the office."

"......"

"What did Jerry say?'

"See, that's the thing. I could barely get a word out of him. You should have seen him, Danny. He was literally in shock."

Danny purses his lips. "Hmmm."

"What, hmmm?"

"Same thing with that Sheppard guy. Looked like he got hit with a tiny flash-bang."

Steve snorts. _"A TINY flash-bang?"_

Danny playfully back-hands Steve on the shoulder. "You know what I mean."

"Did you believe that story about them being sci-fi nerds?"

Danny blows out a breath. After a beat, he says, "No. Sheppard's Air Force. McKay is some kind of scientist."

"So? Some of the people in those fields are the biggest sci-fi geeks out there, Danny. Look at Max."

"I know!" Danny throws his hands up in the air. "Just, it really did seem as if they were trying to hide something. Sheppard slipped up and McKay was horrified. His eyes were bugging out of his head! And Sheppard seemed just as shocked, like he had no control over what he said."

"But Danny, think about what that could mean...."

"I have thought about it. A lot, in fact. Back when I was a rookie in NJ, there was this guy, he worked at NASA after retiring from the Air Force. He said he'd seen things he wasn't allowed to talk about. He said,---and I quote---'There is life out there.' " I believed there was truth in what he said then, same as I do now." 

Steve frowns. "Okay, we'll have to see what Jerry has to say."

"What I want to know is, why didn't he want to tell you anything right then and there?"

"I don't know. He was really spooked. He was also afraid we'd think he was crazy."

"Since when has that stopped him! And speaking of, what was he doing up there anyway?"

"He said he was staying with a friend nearby."

"Since when does he have friends? Outside of us, I mean."

Steve shrugs, and silence settles again. He switches the radio on.

The Stones' 'Sympathy for the Devil,' rolls out.

 

 

************************

 

Back at HQ, they meet up with Chin and Kono, who had processed the scene of their case-a body washed ashore at Waikiki Beach.

"McGarrett, Danny," Chin greets them.

"Hey Boss," Kono says. "Catch some sweet waves? Get Danny on a board?" She winks at Danny, who shudders in mock horror.

"Surf was good. Danny got his shoes full of sand. Ran into something interesting, but first, what has Max found out about our victim?"

"Well, so far as he can tell, it's a Polynesian female of 'very advanced age,' as Max put it. Poor Auntie looked to be in the advanced stages of cancer---thin as a rail. He was unable to get a fingerprint on her, and she had no teeth, so dental i.d. is out."

"Cause of death?"

"Max is performing the autopsy right now."

"HPD is canvassing the area, looking for any clothing or other articles that may have washed up with the victim. I was just about to visit the UH Cancer Center, see if anyone recognizes her," Kono says.

"Cuz, I can go with," Chin says.

"Chin....," Kono remembers the last time the two of them went to hunt down a possible cancer patient i.d. They'd run into Malia.

"Kono, it's okay. Really."

"Okay, let me know what you find out," Steve says. "Danny and I will interview the people who found the body."

Just then, Steve's phone beeps with an incoming text message. He checks the screen.

"It's Jerry. He says he's on his way back and wants to meet with us tomorrow morning."

"What's up, Boss?"

"It's a long story," Steve says, and Danny huffs out a breath in agreement. "Fill you in tomorrow."

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and Rodney go for a hike.

 

Rodney wakes after a night of fitful sleep; he's spooned around John, and despite being unable to see his partner's face, he knows the second John's eyes pop open. He can feel his whole body tense up.

Rodney sighs.

"Sorry," John says.

"Seriously, are you okay? Even your stupid hair is tense."

That earns him a small chuckle, and John relaxes slightly. Good, Rodney thinks.

John sits up, looking over his shoulder at Rodney. "I think we need to go for a hike."

Rodney feels like he's had a bucket of cold water thrown on him. All thoughts of snuggling and whatever else they could get up to are effectively doused.

 _"What???_ I thought we were on vacation! Haven't we done enough hiking in the Pegasus Galaxy? And why do we have to go hiking _now?_ " Rodney knows he's whining. He just doesn't care. _  
_

"I've got this....feeling. I can't explain it, Rodney. Get up and get dressed. I'll get coffee," he wheedles.

"Well, if there's one thing this Island does right, it's coffee," Rodney grumbles, as he slides out of bed.

 

***************************

 

A few hours later, they are hiking up a trail in the Kuaokala Forest Reserve. John's in the lead, but he stops often to scan the area, head cocked as if listening for something. Their progress has been agonizingly slow; at this point, Rodney thinks, they'll be out here all day and all night. That just simply won't do.

"Okay seriously, I can't take this anymore," Rodney declares, and reaches into this backpack for the Ancient scanning device he'd smuggled with him.

"RODney! We're not supposed to have any Ancient tech off base!"

Rodney's chin comes in defiance.

"How'd you even get it past airport security, anyway?"

"Harrumph. It was just a simple matter of duplicating a Jumper's cloaking capability and configuring it for this," Rodney responds, his whole expression saying, _"Well, DUH!"_

John rolls his eyes, but is impressed nonetheless. "Why'd you even bring it?"

"Well, I don't know...I'd feel naked without it. Plus, that's one thing the Pegasus Galaxy taught me: always be prepared, and all that."

"Well, it's not as if it could be of any use _here_.....," John starts, when the device suddenly lights up in Rodney's hands.

"Well....will you look at that," Rodney says, eyes wide. 

Rodney now takes the lead, hurrying up the trail; John falls in behind him.

They travel for another mile when they notice movement through the vegetation up ahead. Rodney stuffs the device into his pocket.

There is an old man--in his 70s, John thinks--walking spryly along with the aid of two hiking poles. As he nears them, he pins them with a penetrating gaze, but his words seem innocuous enough.

"Nice morning for a hike," he says pleasantly. John and Rodney murmur agreement as the man continues on his way. Once they start walking again, John glances back, only to find the man glancing back at _them_. There is something in the look that raises the hairs on John's neck.

"I really wish I had my P-90," he mutters under his breath.

Rodney stops, causing John to walk into him. "What? Why?"

"Just got weird vibes from that guy."

John stops to break off two stout branches, stripping them of twigs and leaves. "Let's go."

 

*************************

Another mile in, they stop when the Ancient device indicates a change in direction--right through the almost impenetrable foliage alongside the path. Looking closely, though, they notice a faintly discernible trail.

They walk another mile, Rodney too engrossed to complain about the heat and the bugs. John follows grimly, feeling like Ulysses being lured by the Sirens' singing.

Finally, they come to--not really a clearing, just an area that is _less dense--_ and stop. 

"Whatever it is, is right here," whispers Rodney.

John walks forward, pulling aside a thick tangle of vines.

A short, rounded column that is clearly of Ancient design stands before them.

They look at each other, eyes wide. "Did you know this was here?" Rodney hisses.

"No, Rodney, I didn't know this was here....there is no record of any Ancient outpost in Hawaii."

John reaches out his hand; a hatch opens and deposits something very much like the bio-signs reader into it. It's inscribed with Ancient letters.

Rodney leans forward, squinting. " 'All who are lost shall find allies.' What does that mean?"

There is a fierce light in John's eyes. "It means...something is coming, Rodney. It's telling us who we can trust. I should have known!"

"Is that why you were acting so loopy yesterday?"

John gives him a look.

"Let's go!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeez, I hope this makes sense. I had not intended to write this but the characters ran away with me! As always, comments are welcome and appreciated!


	5. Body of Evidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max reveals his autopsy report.

Steve brings a mug of coffee over to Danny, who is standing at the SmartTable with Chin and Kono.

"Thanks, Babe." His eyes twinkle at Steve, who gives him a small smile.

"Okay everybody, what've we got so far?"

"No leads at the Cancer Center," Chin states.

"But...," Kono continues, "Some poor Auntie came up to me at the gas station, saying her granddaughter went missing yesterday...she handed me this."

She swipes the table and a photo of a young woman in her 20s comes up on the wall-mounted computer screens.

Danny looks closely at the image. "Isn't that the same necklace our vic was wearing?"

"Yes," Chin says. "And look here," he zooms in on a section of the woman's shoulder visible in the photo. "This looks like it could be the same tattoo on our vic's arm."

Danny purses his lips. "Could be they were part of a weird cult....maybe a murder-suicide pact?"

Steve's cell pings."Max says he's finished with the autopsy, and has his report."

"What took him so long?" Danny asks.

"Guess we'll find out."

 

*********************************

"Ah, Commander McGarrett, Detectives," Max greets them as they assemble in Max's lab.

"Max, tell us what you've got."

"Surely. However, there are several anomalies with this case. I'll start with the least unusual of them."

They all wait expectantly as Max stands there staring back at them. Danny rotates his hand in a "go on," signal.

"Ah yes, well. First thing, is that I have not found any evidence of cancer, chemotherapy drugs, or any other drugs, in her system. There does seem to be, however, evidence of an unusual  disorder that causes premature aging."

Kono shifts her weight, crossing her arms against the chill of the lab. "What do you mean, like Progeria?"

"Yes. And no."

Steve shares a look with Danny and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Well, which is it, Max?"

"Progeria, as the medical profession knows it, manifests at a very early age, within the first few months of a baby's life. Victims with this disorder may live into their teens or early twenties, but they exhibit an abnormal appearance that includes stunted growth, full-body alopecia and a disproportionately large head in relation to the rest of the body, among other things.

"As you can see here, this individual seems to be a completely normal, aged person."

"Max...you're not making any sense...."

"I then took a look at her cells and genetic structure. Based on what I saw, our victim should only be in her early to late twenties. Yet, her organ systems had completely shut down, and she had gone into liver, kidney, and heart failure all within a short span of time."

Kono pulls out the photograph of the young missing woman, and they bend close to compare the photo with the body.

"Wait a minute," Chin says in disbelief. "The exact same charm is missing from the exact same location on the necklace in both cases....and look....the tattoo is in the same location, _exactly_ , as well. They both have the same facial structure, and look here---each has the same scar on the chin. This is the same person in the photograph!"

"Max, how could that be?"

"I do not know, Commander. I am as mystified as you all are, especially after seeing this," and he pulls back the sheet covering the body to reveal a mark on the victim's chest.

"There appears to a wound here in the center of the chest, but I have not been able to determine what caused it."

Danny shudders. "Some type of marine animal, maybe?"

"But that wouldn't cause the rapid aging, could it?" Kono asks.

"There's been evidence that PTSD and extreme trauma can age the body faster than it would normally age, but I've never heard of it happening this fast," Steve says, as his phone pings.

"Jerry's upstairs looking for us. I have a feeling he might know something about this."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	6. They're Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Jerry got his hands on classified information.

They file into the bullpen and find Jerry waiting for them in a state of nervous tension.

"Okay, before I begin, I want to warn you guys that this is going to seem even crazier than any of the other...unusual....things I have discussed. I have to ask you...nay, I beg you...not to fire me when you hear what I am about to say. Because the truth is, I don't know what I'd do without you. _Please_ believe me."

Danny frowned, glancing at Steve, who mirrored his concern.  Jerry had never hesitated to share his viewpoints, nor had he ever _begged_ them like this.

"It's okay, Jerry," Chin says, all Zen calm and soothing.

"Yeah, Jer, tell us what you've got," Kono encouraged him.

"Okay...yesterday, when we ran into John Sheppard and Rodney McKay, I thought I recognized their names, but at first I couldn't place them. However....once Sheppard mentioned _Atlantis_ and _wormhole_ , I knew without a doubt who they were."

Steve crossed his arms. "How could you know that, Jerry?"

"About three years ago, a disgraced scientist by the name of Dr. Peter Kavanagh posted classified information on a website called ufoevidence.org. It was quickly removed,  but not before I was able to download it. In it, he stated that there was a top-secret United States Air Force base at the Cheyenne Mountain complex, in Colorado Springs, called Stargate Command.

"To make an extremely long story short, Stargate Command was formed when scientists discovered that wormholes--which are basically shortcuts between galaxies--actually do exist, and what's more, that a first race of humans known as "Ancients" constructed objects called Stargates, which create such wormholes, thus making space travel quick and easy.....and enabled the discovery of life in other galaxies."

"And these 'Ancients' lived here on Earth?"

"Not originally. They came here from a distant galaxy after going to war with another species."

Danny pursed his lips, hands in pockets, as he swiveled toward Steve questioningly; McGarrett's Aneurysm Face was in full throttle.  Chin regarded Jerry thoughtfully and shared a brief look with Kono. No one knew what to say.

Danny brought them all back to point. "So, what does this have to do with Sheppard and McKay?"

"Aha, good question, Scully," Jerry beamed. "It seems the scientist who illegally published this information had a chip the size of Manhattan on his shoulders. He had been disciplined for severe insubordination and sent to a remote scientific outpost in Siberia. However, before that, he claimed he'd been singled out for ridicule while on assignment in another galaxy.....anyway, this guy was hell-bent on shaming each and every member of that expedition team. Sheppard's and McKay's names were included in his report."

Again, no one knew what to say. Kono began to worry that Jerry had been out in the sun too long.

"But you said this report was removed," Steve said.

"Yes. And anyone who tried to verify it was stonewalled."

"What I want to know, is why would this be kept so top secret," Chin asked. "After all, the United States and other nations DO have space programs. This could be everyone's dream come true. And to know there actually is life on other planets---that's extraordinary."

Something that had been niggling at Danny came to the fore. "You said these 'Ancients'---Danny used airquotes---"had been at war with another species in another galaxy. So apparently other life-forms may not all be as harmless as E.T."

Jerry shuddered. "Nooooo....they are not. Kavanagh talked about a Master Race of almost supernatural beings called 'Wraith' that had annihilated almost entire planetary populations....to the point that they were on the brink of causing their own extinction. Until, that is, they found out about Earth. And ever since then, they've been trying to find a way to get here....and apparently, a few may already have."

"Why were they wiping out civilizations?" Steve asked. "Were they running out of their own natural resources?"

"People....were their natural resource. They fed upon people by basically sucking the life out of them."

"What, like vampires?" Danny  asked. Steve elbowed him.

"I guess...only instead of taking a victim's blood, Wraith feed by taking a victim's years from them."

A chill went around the room as Jerry removed a few photographs from his file folder. "This is what a Wraith victim looks like."

The photo showed what appeared to be a desiccated, mummified old man. In the center of his chest were marks identical to those of their victim downstairs in Max's lab.

They all looked at each other, dumbfounded. Vaguely Danny asked, "You said a few of these...Wraiths....have already made it here?"

"Yes. In perusing all things strange and unexplained, I came across a newspaper article about a string of murders in Las Vegas recently. The victims all appeared to have aged unnaturally and the marks on their chests are identical to the photos here in Kavanagh's report."

"That's it. We need to contact whoever was investigating those murders...."Steve starts.

"We can't," Jerry said. "Only one detective was following this case; apparently he was a maverick. He disappeared in the middle of the investigation.....why?"

"Because we have a body down in the lab that looks exactly the same as the victims in these photos."

Jerry's eyes widened in shock.

"This is _soooo_ not good."

 

 

  
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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again....I hope this makes sense!


End file.
